Man Arrested After Police Chase Brags About Drunk Driving

TAYLOR (WWJ) – A convicted drunk driver who bragged to police about the number of times he got away is behind bars after leading a high-speed chase Downriver.

Police say they tried to stop the 33-year-old for suspected drunk driving around 11 p.m. Friday near Eureka Road and 7th Street in Wyandotte, but the suspect sped away.

“An officer observed a pickup truck that was driving erratically and he suspected it might have been a drunk driver. He initiated a stop and the vehicle took off on him,” said Wyandotte Police Lt. Todd Scheitz.

The man led police on a chase through the streets of Wyandotte and Southgate, at times driving as fast as 50 miles per hour through the neighborhoods and reaching speeds of 80 miles per hour on the main roads.

Scheitz said the chase ended on Eureka Road near I-75 in Taylor when the man rammed his vehicle into a Southfield police cruiser, and even then, the suspect refused to cooperate.

“He wouldn’t get out. He was blocked inside the vehicle and an officer had to use his baton to break a window and open up the vehicle and extract the suspect from the vehicle,” Scheitz said.

After the man was arrested, he apparently bragged about all the times he’s driven under the influence before and never got caught.

Police say the suspect, who has three prior drunk driving offenses, was driving on a suspended license.

“Once we found out who he was, we also found out that he had a felony warrant for operating under the influence out of the Third Circuit Court,” Scheitz said. “This arrest will be his fourth. He is also charged with felony OWI, driving while license suspended — second offense, and resisting and obstruction an officer in the performance of his duties.”

Scheitz said the suspect, identified only an a 33-year-old Downriver-area man, is expected to be arraigned on the charges on Monday.

“Nobody was hurt, the Southgate police officer is ok, the suspect was uninjured also,” Scheitz said. “The officers maintained proper protocols and they maintained the citizens’ safety, the suspect’s safety and their safety also.”